Serengeti home for van der Westhuizen

Nadia van der Westhuizen said while she harboured ambitions of winning in the Standard Bank Pro-Am series, she would not put pressure on herself when the third tournament of this series teed off at her home course, Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estates, on Thursday last week.

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The professionals’ competition was preceded by a pro-am tournament where amateurs will mix it up with the professionals the day before.

“The most important thing for me last season and this season has been to hitting greens in regulation,” she said.

“I just try to hit as many greens as possible and try to get myself in that position of making birdies and taking it from there.

“There are many opportunities to play well and win but the most important thing for me is to keep playing myself into contention all the time, and just try to stay up there.

“There’s no need to put pressure on me because if I keep to my process, the win will come. But, I’m really excited for this week and looking forward to strong competition.”

Excited as she was for the week in familiar territory, the 20-year-old Van der Westhuizen was fully aware of what the course offered and cautioned against complacency of any form.

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“This course is beautiful on the eye but it can get dangerous,” she said.

“Because there aren’t many trees here, the wind becomes a real challenge and the bunkers as well. I know the course well because I started playing golf here, this is where I learned how to play golf.

“So, I would say the wind is the biggest challenge, together with reading the greens because there are tough greens here. But the wind is mainly what makes it tough.”

Van der Westhuizen did not play in the first tournament of the series this season at Glendower Golf Club.

Her only start this season, at Atlantic Beach Links, saw her finish in a share of 15th.

But, last week with her playing in familiar surroundings, she felt her opportunity to win was close.

Having turned pro just last year while she was 19 years old, Van der Westhuizen was the youngest player to tee it up on the Standard Bank Pro-Am series.

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The series drives the development of female players at the grassroots level and empowers talented professional female golfers, such as Van der Westhuizen, by creating opportunities for more playing time, which enables them to hone their skills further.

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